We’ve all come across WELL-READ men/women in our lives at some point or the other. Why do they impress us? Why do we respect these so-called well-read, wise people? Why do we naturally assume them to be clever? Think about it for a second.
Reading is complicated. You don’t agree? The definition truly is.
Reading, I think, is recognizing the language, prose, and context of what is being seen by your eyes. And then, the brain will process that, understand it, and visualize what is being read in the mind’s eye and derive meaning from it.
But who cares what I think, Wikipedia says, “Reading is the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning. It is a form of language processing. Success in this process is measured as reading comprehension. Reading is a means for language acquisition, communication, and sharing information and ideas.”
When did reading begin? A brief history of reading
Did you know reading date’s way back to 3500 B.C., and it was considered a rare skill then? My research on literacy tells me that people at that time who mastered this skill of reading made public performances to display their skill.
The printing press was invented in the 1400s, and it took Americans another 500 years to start reading literature on a mass level.
How has reading changed over the years?
Ever wondered how the ancient laws, culture, ways of life, thoughts, and stories reached us? If our ancestors never took the time to write down all they experienced for us to read, and if we thought blah, reading all that is a waste of time, where would we be now?
Reading helps. Imagine your life without books, magazines, newspapers, heck – the internet, blogs etc. Unimaginable, I know. So, should we move on to the benefits reading offers?
Reading is essential because it helps your mind do all the processing and understanding and comprehending without being a chore. To put it in Tom DE Paolo’s words“Reading is important because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything.”
I love reading for the sheer pleasure of escaping into an unknown world with unknown people and watching their life unfold before me in a manner unique to me. As my take on what I am reading is unique and independent to my imagination of it.
And that, in my opinion, is one of the reasons bookworms like you and I rarely like a movie adaptation of a popular book- Because it is nothing like what we imagined. Now you agree!
25 very important benefits of reading
Reading expands your mind your horizon
Reading exposes you to a different perspective. Your book's story may be from a different era, about a person living in a far off land. You learn about their circumstances, lifestyle, habits, and thoughts and consequently it expands your mind. It makes you understand something better.
Makes you smarter
As you age your brain ages too. Scientific studies claim that regular reading habits can prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Expands your vocabulary
How often have you marveled at an author’s skill to say what he meant in a precise word, instead of using 20 words to describe what he implied? Reading exposes you to new words, newer meanings. That will help you to communicate better and write better.
Improves your command on the language
Reading would expose you to forms of language like grammar, punctuation, different spellings, and of course, vocabulary. Try reading aloud; it is a well-researched method to deepen your understanding of the English language.
Entertains
Didn’t I already say that I read books because they give me the pleasure of escaping into a world of unknowns? They entertain by pleasing. You might say TV entertains me better. But watching TV limits your imagination to the version the director of the content perceived. While reading lets your imagination run wild. What else could entertain better? Reading as entertainment was used long before TV was ever invented.
Reduces Stress
Any reader will know that reading comforts. It is peaceful, Zen-like. Your mind is relieved of its worries, problems, and anxieties when you get swept away in a storybook. We get unknowingly stressed, getting through our daily lives and keeping pace with our surroundings. Reading is a way of unwinding and letting go of the daily burdens of life and consequently reducing stress. When I am stressed, I always turn to romance novels, and I am soon smiling again.
It Mentors You
Self-help books offer great wisdom. They give you all the expertise and advice a veteran took several years to acquire in a concise 300-page book. People share their success formulae, their rags to riches stories or stories of overcoming a disability, or even the easiest way to learn a new programming language. These masters in their field want to mentor through their books. Reading their book is the first step to do to achieve this great success.
Helps you Travel
The story you’re reading about may take you all over the seven continents or different countries and cultures. It may act as a travel machine and take you to World War II or a dystopian future through sci-fi. Traveling through books always reminds of reading George R.R. Martin’s a Song of Ice and Fire that takes me to King’s landing, and Winter fell, the Wall and the land beyond the Wall.
Reading makes you knowledgeable
Experts believe that by reading three books about a topic, you can grow your knowledge of the topic by 95%. Imagine reading 10; it would probably make you the subject matter expert.
Reading gives you knew friends
A book comprises of its characters, and readers resonate with their characters and thus make new friends. Virtual friends aside, there are places like Goodreads where you can join book clubs or discuss opinions about a book you just read and find like-minded book lover friends.
Drives away boredom, loneliness and hence depression
Reading keeps your mind occupied, which would kill boredom. When you are reading what the author wants to communicate to you and resonate with his/her writing, you make a friend. Depression is a complex problem that needs a comprehensive solution. Still, reading self-help books that help you overcome the problem to some extent, is a healthy means of reducing the symptoms. Or even reading a happy and joyous fiction book can get the job done.
Reading facilitates self-introspection
Memoirs are an excellent way to do self-introspection. Memoirs tell us what problems people faced and how they overcame them. Reading them can help us ask ourselves how we would solve such a problem. It can help you question your ways. It can help you embrace yourself for who you are.
Inexpensive good habit –saves money
Books are cheap. Way cheaper than any other hobbies or habits. With the advent of digital books and the Kindle e-books are even free now. Join a library to get a lifetime’s supply of books at a tiny price.
Hobby with Zero Effort
Ever heard that too much reading spoiled me. Painting messes the house. Cooking messes your kitchen and utensils. Hiking takes effort. Writing takes creativity. Exercising is strenuous. What does reading take, a good book and yourself and your set.
Sharpens your memory
Reading daily benefits the brain in terms of memory- your focus on the comprehension aids in retaining what you’ve processed. Reading stimulates the part of the brain to do with memory and hence exercises the brain’s memory powers.
Helps you forget
While reading Fiction generally, I get so caught up in the story and its characters that I lose track of time. You may have experienced this too. You were so absorbed in a book that you temporarily forgot about all other things on your mind. For me, this works because when I get back to solving my problems, the reading distraction has created a fresh perspective for my work.
Improves your focus and concentration
A book’s power to keep you engaged naturally helps you focused on it. So it helps to make your mind sharper by getting it to focus and concentrate on chores quickly.
Improves your writing skills
When you read more, you learn about different writing styles. You acquire knowledge about different topics. I learn better vocabulary, better grammar, and consequently master the language better. So automatically, this reflects well in your writing.
Reading can encourage life goals
Other people’s stories who succeeded despite severe hardships in their lives, always inspire and motivate us to achieve better. Reading about them and their circumstances help us in moving towards our goals and dreams. If he or she could, why not me? Haven’t we all read that Thomas Edison failed 1000 times before he invented the light bulb? Don’t we feel amazed at his tenacity when we read what he said after that, “I didn't fail 1,000 times? The light bulb was an invention of 1,000 steps.”
Makes you sleep better
Frankly, it’s funny, but sometimes I do doze off while reading a book. I am sure you’ve experienced this too. But that’s not always because the book was boring. It’s more because reading relaxes your mind, just like a spa treatment does. Trust me when I say I’ve woken up in the middle of my massage snoring. Don’t laugh!
Helps empathize better
Getting to read about people, listening to their stories, understanding their circumstances, felling their pain makes us aware of our surroundings. That, in turn, helps us empathize better with our fellow beings. Research suggests that long term fiction readers who read about the inner workings of the characters in their books tend to be more skillful in maintaining their social relationships.
Helps analyze better
When you’ve read many books, doesn’t your mind automatically analyze that I liked this book/author better, or I would like to read more on this topic. Reading stimulates your brain, increases focus, and that helps critical thinking and analysis skills.
Productive use of time
Waiting in a line for your doctor’s appointment, read, and your time will pass away quickly. Commuting to and fro from office in a crowded bus, pick a book, and you’ll forget about your surroundings. Unwind into your weekend with a good mystery book, coffee and popcorn, and that’s a weekend well spent.
Reading books could make you smile
After a stressful day at work, don’t you ever feel like slipping into a warm tub and getting lost in a cozy mystery or mushy romance novel? I do. Why? Because I know that reading will bring joy to my tired body and stressed mind. Meditation and Yoga might do the trick as well, but sometimes even that is just too much effort. Reading in the morning brightens my day like no other. Sometimes, after I’ve squabbled with someone, I pick up my favorite witty authors and smile in no time.
Works out your brain – like exercise works out your body
What you feed your body shows, similarly what you feed your mind reflects. If you eat junk food all the time and never work out, your body will complain sooner rather than later. Similarly, if all you think is negative thoughts and only watch TV to stimulate your brain, your brain’s capacity is never going to grow. Our mind needs this workout in the form of reading to perform at its best.
Benefits of reading to babies and toddlers
Did you ever hear of a mom who scolded her kids for reading too much? Never, because there is nothing wrong with reading, on the contrary, it has loads of benefits that I already told you about.
Additionally, research suggests that reading to your infants and growing up toddlers, creates a happy memory associated with reading in your child’s mind. That, in turn, might help the reading habit grow for the child. Reading aloud stimulates their imagination and expands their perception of the world around them. The bright colors on board books attract them, and the cute animal characters on them make them curious. They relate themselves to the story’s character, and the moral of the story broadens their mind to infinite possibilities.
Vocabulary building, language development, building empathy, more persuasive communication, and stronger self-confidence are well-researched and VERY IMPORTANT benefits of reading for children.
Your small repetitive actions for your children can have significant effects on their brain and hence their future. Why ignore this small good habit?
How to read more books? 20 hacks to fit more reading into your daytime
Plan
Nothing happens without planning. Set a goal of maybe 12 books in a year, so one every month. Make a list of say 25 books that you would wish to read this year and narrow-down on 12 along the way. If you’re feeling ambitious, you may opt for 50 books in a year challenge or 100!
Try shorter books first
That way, you’ll efficiently finish what you’ve started, and every step towards your goal will build your confidence.
That way, you’ll efficiently finish what you’ve started, and every step towards your goal will build your confidence.
Pick from your favorite genres
Reading should be fun, not a chore. I like romance and crime novels in the fiction genre. I alternate between the genres to keep it interesting.
Utilize spare time
On your commute. At the doctor’s clinic. Put every minute to good use.
Haul books
I always visit book sales. I end up buying a massive pile of books without burning a hole in my pocket and get excited like a puppy with a bone. And I naturally fall into a mindset of reading at least a majority of them, if not all.
Make it a habit
Ready daily at least 20 minutes a day. Set a time when you would do it and stick to it.
Identify the problems
What’s stopping you from reading? Do you fall asleep? Don’t read in bed. Identify the problem; the solution will follow.
Make fun changes
Listen to Audiobooks. They are all the rage now. And what’s more, you can listen to them while cooking or laundry or cleaning the house.
Give up on books you hate
It’s ok to quit on a book you are not enjoying. You might be amazed to see people’s DNF (Did Not Finish) piles.
Forget what people will say
Read what you enjoy. If you love reading an erotic romance, do it. Try e-books if you feel embarrassed-that way, no one needs to know what you are reading.
Carry books wherever you go
Always keep a book in your bag. This goes back to the point where I mentioned you utilize every spare minute you have. Carry your Kindle in your bag, so you have multiple options to pick from depending on your mood.
Budget for books
While planning your monthly budgets plan some money for your books. They don’t need much. And they are worth every dime spent.
Get involved socially
Join Bookstagram. It’s an awesome community on Instagram for book lovers. Participate in reading challenges.
Reading Buddy or Book Club Buddy
Find a buddy or book forum or book club. Sign up at Goodreads and discuss whatever you like about the books you’ve read.
Organize
Organize your unproductive time. Set your Netflix time to one hour a day or whatever suits you and stick to it. Spend the remaining spare time reading.
Read Multiple
Read multiple books at a time. I have a self-help book on my work table. A romance novel in my bedroom. A mystery on my Kindle. Whatever my mood, I always have something to go.
Review books
Share your opinions about a book on a blog or book forum. The interaction that happens will have you reading more books.
The 5-hour rule
Employ the 5-hour rule used by Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Warren Buffet, and Jack Ma. Influential people spend at least one hour a day or 5 hours a week learning or practicing something new through reading.
Read Aloud
Read aloud when you are finding it hard to focus on the book once you are hooked switch to regular reading.
My Blog
Still not pumped, visit my blog and go through this list again, at least one of these hacks is guaranteed to pump you up.
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions About Reading
Q.Why is reading important for children?
For the reader who has directly skipped to the FAQs, here’s my answer to why reading is important for children and its benefits.
Q. Why is reading important for adults?
Reading has enormous benefits. Please check my elaborate version of it here.
Q. Why is reading aloud important?
Brain stimulation, increased focus and concentration, connection of emotion between the spoken word and written word, increased attention span are important benefits of reading aloud for kids and adults.
For kids, reading aloud with the family is also a warm and happy way of bonding with family.Q. Why is reading essential for speech DEVELOPMENT?
For the simple reason, that reading develops vocabulary and language. Reading aloud helps in pronunciation and emoting the spoken word in connection to the written word that helps develop speech.
Why is reading non-fiction important?
Non-fiction is about real people. Learning from other people’s struggles, their lives, their successes, their failures. The paths they followed, the formulae they applied, and the motivation and inspiration they received made them successful enough to inspire us, readers. How can this be anything but beneficial? To us. It’s essential to keep learning every day, and non-fiction content provides an easy opportunity to do that.
Why is reading FICTION important?
Some research mentions that reading fiction is much more critical than non-fiction. Because reading about fictitious characters and their pains relates us to them where we imagine ourselves in their shoes. Fiction helps us to empathize better. We begin to understand what motivates people. Why they do what they do?
Why is visualization important in reading?
Creating a mental image helps us understand the text better, reach more in-depth, and find the greater meaning of what the author is trying to say. Visualization also encourages imagination and hence creativity.
How long should I read in a day?
Twenty minutes a day is optimum. If you can do more, try the 5-hour method employed by the most successful people in the world—one hour every day, five days a week.
HOW MANY BOOKS CAN I READ IN A YEAR?
There isn’t a definite answer to this book. It depends on a lot of factors like your reading speed, the availability of time you have, the access to books you have, etc.
But to give you some figures, at least one book a month should be doable. That’s 12 books a year. Or if you can read faster, one book a week, that should make it 52 in a year. Accomplish either, and you’ve done a great job guys.
Voracious readers challenge themselves to 100 books a year, so they have to read an average of 2 books a week. I am yet to do this challenge, but I intend to work on it soon.
Why is reading more important than watching TV?
TV watching or watching movies on any online platforms is a mindless, passive activity. There is no function for the brain involved. It is just that, watching.
Whereas reading is complex and active. It involves the brain through stimulation, through deriving meaning from what is being read by the eyes. It requires focus and attention. So what could be more vital, exercising the brain or just mindless watching?
Moreover, have you heard of TV preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s or Dementia?
Does reading make you rich and successful?
Reading alone cannot help you get rich or successful. You need to support your reading with action to produce money and wealth. It can give you the knowledge, but you need to apply it to make it work for you.
Is reading a newspaper considered good reading?
Newspapers educate you about current events. They may be biased out of political vendetta. In comparison, books have a very different purpose of educating, inspiring, nurturing creativity and imagination or imparting knowledge. Books take months to research and write, often years. At the same time, newspapers are printed every day, without depth to the topic being discussed.
Although reading the newspapers is a good habit, only reading newspapers will not benefit substantially.
Hope you this was enough information for you to begin reading and begin reading more!
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Happy Reading!
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